COMPARE Columbia MathFin vs Gatech vs Chicago Finmath

[somya harjai]

Hello everyone,

I have admits from the aforementioned schools. For Chicago Fin math i have been offered 30 percent scholarship as well. Earlier i was pretty sure of joining Columbia Mathfin because of the Ivy league brand name and NY location but due to some financial constraints i am not sure of joining Columbia mathfin because of the high fees (COA = 120K (Tution 95k + living expenses 20k)) . Whereas gatech and UOC (with 30 % scholarship) are easily manageable. I do have around 3 years of quant finance work experience (index quant strategies and statistical risk modelling). My ultimate aim is to get a challenging role in quant finance ie. risk related or trading related. As i have very less time to make a decision and do not have much idea about Finmath at University of Chicago, i would appreciate if people can provide their suggestions on this.

This is going to be a crucial decision of my life and it would be great to hear your valuable suggestions.

Thanks

 

[Jiajie Liu]

Vote for Gatech QCF definitely!

 

[somya harjai]

Vote for Gatech QCF definitely!

Can you explain the reason for that

 

[Tsunami]

IMO the courses at chicago are more theoretical in nature and there are some courses at PhD level as well. Also, the classes are held in the evenings which might be an advantage/disadvantage based on how you take it.

 

[somya harjai]

IMO the courses at chicago are more theoretical in nature and there are some courses at PhD level as well. Also, the classes are held in the evenings which might be an advantage/disadvantage based on how you take it.

Did you have a look at their curriculum, It look quant heavy to me and from last year they have included couple of computing and machine learning courses as well.

 

[Transcending]

Hey there,

I'm in a similar situation with choosing from U Chicago and Columbia thus far. From my research, it seems like U Chicago will help you out more with career and interview prep etc. whereas Columbia is more geared for students with experience like yourself who will network their way into finding a job. But you will still have access to Lionshare and other Columbia resources, it will probably be up to you though on how well you utilize them. Also there is a lot a competition in Columbia with other programs like MFE and MSOR. Read the reviews on Quantnet if you haven't already and the link below (2015) for some insight on MAFN:

https://www.quora.com/Columbia-Univ...m-can-better-help-me-get-a-good-job-in-the-US

Since you already have relevant experience I feel like MAFN will get you in the door of the heavier quant roles you are interested like risk and trading based on the brand name. Based on U Chicago's stats, around 21% got interns in trading. I feel like this is high compared to other schools since Chicago is one of the trading capitals of the world. Most of the graduates secure positions in Chicago so if you are trying to land a job in trading and don't mind working there, heavily consider it. With Columbia I'm sure it will be easier to network into a firm in NYC.

Internship Statistics | Financial Mathematics | The University of Chicago

Lastly, looking at the curricula, I believe MAFN is more on the theoretical end of the quant finance whereas there might be more practical courses at U Chicago. They offer a machine learning course (not sure if Columbia does?). If you want more flexibility however, MAFN has many electives you can choose from out of the various departments that could be counted toward the degree.

Don't know too much about GA tech so can't give you much info on that. But I hear it is also a strong program and their career services are probably better than Columbia's MAFN and Chicago's MSFM but it will still be up to you to network and job hunt if you want positions in NYC.

These are just some of my opinions based on research. Someone correct me if I'm mistaken somewhere. Thanks.

Best of luck to you!